Al Hikma

Ashrafieh, the hillside district east of Beirut's port, is compact enough that two of the city's football clubs share the same postcode and settle their business in the Achrafieh derby. Al Hikma is one half of that rivalry, the other carried by Racing Beirut, and the fixture has stayed a neighbourhood affair for longer than either side's trophy cabinet would suggest.

The idea for the club took shape in 1942. The paperwork caught up on 14 October 1943, when Al Hikma received its official banner and was registered under number 1189. Nothing in Lebanese football since has put a league title in the hands of the Green Castle — the nickname belongs to the club's green and white colours — but two campaigns came close. Al Hikma finished second in the Lebanese Premier League in 2000/01 and again in 2001/02, the second of those decided in the final round, when Al-Nejmeh took the title instead.

The Lebanese Cup has run the same way. Al Hikma reached the final in 2006 and lost 1-3 to Ansar. A later final against Al-Nejmeh went the same way, 0-2. The Second Division has been kinder: Al Hikma won it twice, in 1948 and 1956, each title a route back to the top flight, and the club's most recent promotion from that level came in 2020/21.

Home, for now, is not in Beirut at all. Al Hikma's traditional ground, Bourj Hammoud Stadium, has given way to Fouad Chehab Stadium in Jounieh, up the coast, where the club played through the 2025/26 season while talk continues of a return to a rebuilt Ain Saadeh ground. Fouad Chehab holds 5,000.